MARKOR Market Orientation Scale
Also known as: Market Orientation Measurement, Kohli-Jaworski Scale
The MARKOR scale, developed by Kohli, Jaworski, and Kumar (1993), measures organizational market orientation—the degree to which an organization actively gathers and uses market intelligence to guide strategy and decision-making. MARKOR captures three core dimensions: Intelligence Generation (collecting customer and competitor information), Dissemination (sharing market knowledge across departments), and Responsiveness (acting on market insights). The scale is widely used in strategic management research to diagnose whether organizations are truly customer-focused or operate in a more internally driven manner.
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When to use it
Use MARKOR to diagnose organizational market orientation before major strategic initiatives, evaluate whether organizational structure and incentives support market-driven decision-making, benchmark market orientation against competitors or industry standards, assess post-reorganization effectiveness in maintaining customer focus, and predict likely performance trends (high market orientation correlates with innovation and profitability). MARKOR is particularly valuable for organizations concerned about strategic drift away from customer needs or those undergoing organizational transformation.
Strengths & limitations
- Comprehensive coverage of market orientation as a dynamic process: information generation, internal knowledge dissemination, and organizational response are all captured, not just customer awareness
- Validated in multiple industries (manufacturing, services, high-tech, consumer goods) and across geographies, demonstrating robust applicability
- Actionable diagnostic dimensions: organizations can identify specific gaps (e.g., good intelligence but poor dissemination, indicating a communication/process problem) and prioritize improvements
- Predictive validity: high MARKOR scores correlate with business unit profitability, innovation, and customer satisfaction, supporting use as a leading indicator of strategic health
- Self-reported organizational behaviors may be subject to social desirability bias; respondents may overstate market orientation, particularly if organizational culture emphasizes customer focus verbally
- MARKOR measures perceived organizational orientation among sampled respondents; genuine organization-level orientation requires aggregation consensus, which may not exist if organizational alignment is weak
- The scale does not capture market orientation quality or sophistication of market research methods used; an organization may score high on Intelligence Generation but use unsystematic or biased market intelligence
- Responsiveness dimension conflates intention (strategy is customer-focused) with actual implementation; organizational commitment to customer focus may not translate to effective execution
Frequently asked
Who should respond to MARKOR items?
MARKOR should be administered to multiple respondents per business unit, ideally spanning different functions (marketing, R&D, operations, sales) and organizational levels (manager to senior leader). This multi-level, cross-functional approach provides organizational-level estimates less subject to individual bias. A minimum of 5–10 respondents per business unit is recommended; larger SBUs benefit from 15–20. Average responses across respondents to estimate organizational MARKOR.
How does MARKOR relate to customer-centricity or being customer-driven?
MARKOR operationalizes customer-centricity as an organizational practice, not just a stated value. Organizations claiming to be customer-driven but scoring low on MARKOR likely have weak processes for understanding and responding to customer needs. MARKOR measures the degree to which customer understanding is systematically gathered, communicated internally, and translated to action—the behavioral manifestation of customer-centricity.
What sample size do I need for organization-level MARKOR estimates?
A minimum of 5 respondents per business unit or department is recommended; 10–15 is ideal if organizational diversity is high. For large corporations assessing multiple SBUs, aim for 50–100 respondents total across units. Ensure respondents span functional areas and hierarchical levels to reduce response bias from any single perspective (e.g., marketing departments may overstate market orientation).
Should I use MARKOR if my organization is not very large or does not have formal SBUs?
Yes, MARKOR can be adapted for smaller organizations or single-business companies. Substitute 'business unit' with 'department' or 'functional area,' and assess market orientation as the degree to which the overall organization gathers and responds to customer/market information. In very small organizations (under 20 people), administer to all staff; in mid-size organizations, sample across functions.
How often should I measure MARKOR?
Annual measurement is standard for stable organizations; bi-annual or quarterly measurement is appropriate if strategic initiatives target market orientation improvement or if organizational changes (restructuring, leadership transitions, M&A) are frequent. Avoid measurement immediately after organizational change (first 6 months); allow time for new processes to stabilize before re-measuring to distinguish genuine behavioral change from transition noise.
Sources
- Kohli, A. K., Jaworski, B. J., & Kumar, A. (1993). MARKOR: A Measure of Market Orientation. Journal of Marketing Research, 30(4), 467-477. DOI: 10.1177/002224379303000406 ↗
- Jaworski, B. J., & Kohli, A. K. (1993). Market Orientation: Antecedents and Consequences. Journal of Marketing, 57(3), 53-70. DOI: 10.1177/002224299305700304 ↗
How to cite this page
ScholarGate. (2026, June 3). MARKOR Market Orientation Scale. ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/en/marketing-management/market-orientation-scale
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